In Memoriam

I read the names of those who fell
On granite slabs,on marble,slate
Forever young,these fallen ones
Were brothers,fathers,lovers,sons.
What might have been,is now a wish
No cure for cancer,no mercury-free fish
A world still waits, and longs,for this.

They gave their lives for here and now
The right to blog, without reprise
To go to church, to vote(and pray )
This thing they call The American Way.

I thought of too,of those who fall
Slain in another,global war
Their names are written on our hearts
Heroes of another sort.
They had so much to give
So many years have been cut short
I wish that wars,& D would cease
A weary world just longs for peace.

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Xtra Ketones

I decided to get a Precision Xtra,to see if it really was all that different from the old fashioned way of peeing on a strip.A FB acquaintance gave me some soon to expire strips,and I tried them but you can't use expired strips..the meter won't let you. So I called the doc's office for an rx,emphasizing blood KETONE strips. Later,the pharmacy called me,& again I emphasized blood KETONE strips. As you can probably guess,when I showed up at the pharmacy the rx was blood glucose strips & the pharmacist would have to call the docs office.4 hours later,they called again to say that the rx could be picked up today,after 3 pm.I got there about 3:30 pm and they said sorry,it wouldn't be ready till after 6. I cooly informed them that they'd said 3 pm & I was holding them to it.By this time,the cars behind me in the drivethrough were driving around (and going inside). So the tech went & got it pushed through. It wasn't her fault, & she apologized for the inconvenience. I was not in a very good mood(made even better by my recent string of 300+ blood sugars), and all I wanted was to get the rx and go check the darn ketones. I payed the $57.36(again,insurance didn't cover much & the Freestyle program covered nothing),went home,& voilà, this is my first meter reading.1.2. I seem to be having truly rotten bgs of late,ever since my Ping broke,vacation,etc..& I am no closer to getting them in line(switch insulins,sets,lines,etc).At least now I know how resistant I am,& can maybe use that info when I'm correcting.(presence of ketones make one more resistant) Urine strips aren't very accurate when you're visiting the restroom every 20 minutes.And sometimes I don't even think about ketones & just correct..when really, I should. Another thing about ketones is,they sometimes require extra calories(& that takes even more insulin) Fair to say,if I'm super high & feel like warmed over death, I probably have ketones.


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Just Another Number

It's just a number.

It does not mean I had a Twinkie gorging party this morning,and forgot to bolus.

It is not a reflection of my moral character.

It does not mean I will die next week.(although,I need to be doing something about it ASAP)

I refuse to feel guilt. I am not a pancreas,& I cannot control the 1,001 factors that influence blood sugar numbers.

I will pick up the syringe,inject,change the set..& continue living this D-life the best that I can.

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Day 3: A Visit to the Banting House

I was excited for this day..ever since I'd found out (via Twitter)that it was A.near Niagara Falls and B. fairly accessible and C. a smashing place to visit(compliments of Virtue's post). Oh wow,was I excited.(more like,unable to be lived with) On day 3, we bid adeau to Niagara Falls(more on that later) & drove due west about two hours to the lovely little town of London,Ontario.(near Paris,& the Themes River.I guess they wanted a little slice of Europe)


It was just off a main road,& there was plenty of free parking. Went inside,where the tour guide greeted us & took us on a tour(we were the only one's there that day,& defiantly the only Americans) At the end of the tour,we paid $10, and then went back to look things over more throughly.


(Banting's flat screen tv)

The journey began in this room,where we heard about Queen Elizabeth II's trip over there,to dedicate the Eternal Flame.





I know you can't see the flame,but it's up there. Some doofus vandalized it once..and the weather has put it out,but it is supposed to burn,until there is a cure.And was that ever a tear inducer,I could tell that the whole tour I'd be choking back & trying not to have a breakdown.Will there ever be a cure?


(the special tea set they had made for her visit)


And then we tromped upstairs,where the most important room was. The room where young Banting had his billion dollar idea,on the morning of Oct.20,1920.(Banting lived in the house for 10 months)



Sat on the bed...



Signed the guest book..


Went into another room,& viewed five year old Teddy Ryder's pics(70 years on insulin) and letter to Dr.Banting.





And Banting's Nobel Prize:











In his later years,Banting did mustard gas experiments on his leg(& they almost had to amputate it). He died in a plane accident in 1941, off the Newfoundland coast.(perhaps due to German sabatouge)





(door stop of old insulin vials..a fitting tribute to him)













Banting was 29 when he discovered insulin...and hearing that made me considerably happier,because perhaps there's hope for me yet.(as that number looms before me,taunting me with the nearness of 30)



(the time capsule that the discoverors of THE CURE for diabetes,will open) Yes,at that point I had to break out the tissues.

































(Banting was also an artist,& there was a room full of his art)









Some (ok,most) will say that the biggest Canadian contribution to the world at large is hockey,& certainly the game would be the lesser were it not for those Hall of Fame greats. But I say, Canada's Greatest Contribution is insulin..& the first thing that comes to mind, when I think of the Land of the Maple Leaf. I wish all Canadians learned about it in school.(it seemed to be a very sparsely attended tourist destination) A world without insulin,would be a world minus millions of us. It would have eventually been discovered,but it came just in time for thousands of T1 PWD.


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The Great AmeriCanadian Road Trip: Day 1

We started out about 9 am Sunday morning,to very gray skies.Said skies soon commenced to pouring rain. Crossed the border into Pennsylvania,stopped at several rest areas where we were greeted by Logger Dude & a bowl full of doggie biscuits.(welcoming the canines)













Stopped for lunch,at a Friendlys,& my connection was not good(at all)..so I actually conversed with my husband the entire time.
(my lunch)






(his lunch)






There are advantages to having a non-PWD spouse..the chief one being they can order the carby PB cup ice cream,eat most of it,yet still give you some. That worked for me,as I just wanted a taste..not the whole sugary shebang. There must be 120+ in even the small one's.

Never have I gotten a signal inside their restaurants,& their wifi never works..I think it is a conspiracy.(to get people of their phones & bonding with each other) Most of the ride from Northwestern PA was like that though,no signal. We finally got to the PA/NY border,where
we were briefly "welcomed" to the great state of New York,before the road ended in a barracade 50 yards later. Thanks for the welcome,New York. The GPS went into a "dead zone" & we had to go in a 30 minute loop before figuring out another route.






(White dots on road..anyone know what these are for?)

At dusk,we reached the bridge & border. That was fairly nerve wracking..neither of us have been to Canada & my husband's passport expires on Aug.24.But they let us in,after asking various logical(& not) security questions.

















Drove to our hotel,checked in,went out & saw the fireworks.





After 45 minutes of walking,my bg hadn't budged an iota(150 before,150 after) That didn't bother me though..as it was a better number then 7/9 of the days blood sugars.

And that was a wrap to day #1,it was exhausting.(& non-eventful)

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The Great AmeriCanadian Road Trip(-1)

Friday the 13th was spent forgetting my meter,forgetting my breakfast bolus,running around like a headless chicken attempting to get a million errands run,correcting the 313,baking/burning/scraping cookies,going to a peach festival & having some marvelous pit beef sandwiches & peaches & ice cream,selling out of the burned cookies regardless,spending 2.5 hours searching for my passport & drinking 2 juice boxes to prevent a low,despite the carbiness of said meal.And then my pump flashed a low battery alarm,on top of the low reservoir. I waited till today to change out,& when I put a new battery in it gave me a "no battery detected" alarm.Tried several more,no deal. This is not a message that you want to see less then 24 hours before your vacation. Called Animas..they had me inspect my battery case. (the inside had a small black blotch,presumed battery leakage) The pump,is history. So of course I had to get backup Lantus.

And they don't ship to Canada.(not allowed to) Which is where we'll be,for a significant amount of time. She tried to contact the reps in my area to see if they could help me out,no one responded. In the end,I just had 'em ship it to Thursday's Rendezvous with the Ohio Relatives (address) & accept my fate. RIP,little one. (of course,it couldn't die on the 13th or I could have gotten a replacement before leaving)

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Top Ten Favorite Apps #4

I love my iphone 4. Regretfully, I'm probably TOO addicted to the thing..I mean, it does everything. Telephone, music,blog lists,exercise tracker(that's assuming I do it..lol) to do lists,shopping/grocery lists,My Coke Reward counter,email, Twitter,etc. And making the upgrade from the 3G to the 4G was like going from Windows 95 to Windows XP..oh, so worth it. It is sleek, gorgeous, and amazingly fast. (it also drops calls but we won't get into that) It does 99% of the things I want.(flash & itunes syncing still not in the cards)It helps me study for anatomy exams..it whiles away the midnight hours on interesting games.

So here are my current Top Ten Favorite Apps for iphone/itouch. (nothing free about them..but totally worth it, IMO)

#1 iTinnitus This is designed to lessen that pesky ear ringing..& if you have tinnitus, you know how truly annoying it can be. Mine is genetic,& I've had it so long it doesn't both me most of the time, but during total silence you can't help but notice it. That's why I usually have background noise(fan, etc) going but that's not always possible. Setting the noise pitch to the tinnitus retrains the brain to lessen the signal coming from the ear, and thus, the tinnitus isn't so loud. And that's a wonderful thing. Cost: $4.99.

#2 Pocket Bacon. I got it when it was free..its relaxing to see bacon, sizzling away. I'm not sure I'd pay for it though.
Cost: $1.99

#3 Stupid Game,FREE. Tests how well you follow directions.(apparently, not well)

#4 AppAdvice. Hands down the best app recommend-er you will EVER encounter. It gives you lists,guides,(apple) news, appisodes(watch before you buy), etc. for the touch, iphone, and ipad. Cost: $1.99

#5 Food Scanner. Scan a upc, get complete caloric & nutritional info. It even adds up what you eat over the course of the day.(must plug in # of servings though) This is great for me, because I always end up with the smooshed labels that are impossible to read/figure out the carbs...this thing solves that dilemma. Cost: $0.99

#6 PixelPipe. Frees media to 100+ social networking sites. Cost: FREE

#7 Project365. Uploads to Facebook & Twitter. Good way to remember to do 1 pic a day. Cost: FREE

#8 Cup o' Joe Lite. Helps you wake up. Cost: FREE

#9 The Betty Crocker Mobile Cookbook. Over 9,000 recipes,in an illustrated, easy-to-read format. Exports to email. Has complete calorie/carb info. Cost: FREE

#10 The Onion. (What's not to love?) Cost: FREE

Afghanistan

25 is too young to die. 25 is just starting out,perhaps getting married,starting a family. 25 is younger then I am now.

But thousands of 25 year olds(and younger) are giving their lives to protect our freedoms in this country.And others,are giving their lives to help the unfortunate in other countries,like Afghanistan. But you never think that it will be missionaries,because they probably aren't even carrying guns & they have no military agenda. Innocents.

10 people died last week..doing what they knew how.Brutally murdered,at the hands of the Taliban,while providing medical care to a remote area of Afghanistan. They were Fathers.Brothers.A bride-to-be. And friends.

One of them I knew,growing up.(that part of the world is a small one) So the news hit like a ton of bricks. There's alot of feelings that go circulating around after something like this,& I won't lie to you & tell you that I'm just hunky-dory with every single religion out there,because I'm not.(yes,you have the right to practice it in this country..no,it's not a peaceful religion.) And that's where I stop on that subject,as I don't fancy blog stalking & retribution. It also makes me think about what I have(not) done with my life.

It's tragic,& I can't imagine what the families & close friends are going through..you can only hope that something good will come from it,that they touched some life for the better. They are released from their earthly sorrows now, safe with God.

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DFeast Friday:Tuna Burgers

Tuna Burgers

(granted,not much about these could be considered healthy,but they're good anyway! & at least it has nutritional info)














Prep: 25 Min
Total: 25 Min
Makes: 4 sandwiches
Tuna gets dressed up into diner-style burgers. You can have these hot sandwiches on your dinner table faster than you can order in the diner.
Ingredients
1 cup soft bread crumbs (about 2 slices bread)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, slightly beaten
8 medium green onions, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
2 pouches (about 7 oz each) light tuna in water, drained, flaked
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 sandwich buns, split
4 tablespoons dill dip
(add a strip of bacon for a further boost to the waistline)
Directions
In medium bowl, mix all ingredients except butter, buns and dill dip. Shape mixture into 4 patties, 3 1/2 inches in diameter, using heaping 1/2 cupful for each patty.
In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add patties; cook 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until brown and thoroughly cooked. Serve on buns with dill dip.
For serving ideas, reviews and more,
visit bettycrocker.com

Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 Sandwich, Calories 440, Calories from Fat 150, Total Fat 16g (25% DV), Saturated Fat 7g (36% DV), Trans Fat 1g, Cholesterol 155mg (51% DV), Sodium 1090mg (45% DV), Total Carbohydrate 39g (13% DV), Dietary Fiber 2g (7% DV), Sugars 6g, Protein 34g, Calcium 15%. Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.


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This One's for The Girls

(if you're a guy,don't worry,there is nothing digusting in this post.It's totally safe to read.)

This is for all you girls,about 16
Life as a teenaged 'betic can be so mean
Hormones & parents,tryin' to be free
It just don't seem fair that you've got a disease.

This one's for all you girls,at 26
There's no cure for this,no easy fix
Just remember this
Life's still that box of chocolates..
(albeit one that requires bolusing)

This one's for the girl
Who's trying on a wedding dress
Who never thought they'd be so blessed
Awash in hopes & crazy dreams
And this one's for the girl
Who's eaten her last glucose tab
And feels,anything but fab
Awake post- sweat drenched hypoglycemic dreams..

This is for all you girls,about 42
30 years with the 'beates accrued
By now,you're sick of it through & through
My hope is when there is a cure,it comes first to you.
(or anyone who has been dealing with it the longest!)

This one's for the girl
Who's trying on a wedding dress
Who never thought they'd be so blessed
Awash in crazy hopes & dreams
And this one's for the girl
Who's down to her last glucose tab
And feeling, anything but fab
Awake post-sweat drenched hypoglycemic dreams..

Yeah,we're all the same inside
Tears times years are multiplied..

This one's for the girl
Who's trying on a wedding dress
Who never thought they'd be that blessed
Awash in crazy hopes & dreams
And this one's for the girl
Who's down to her last glucose tab
And feeling,anything but fab
Awake post- sweat drenched hypoglycemic dreams...


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my iPhone